Netflix has released the first stunning footage from Andrew Dominik’s Blonde, starring Ana de Armas as Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe. The film, based on the best-selling novel by Joyce Carol Oates, is notable for its NC-17 rating. The supporting cast are Bobby Cannavale, Adrien Brody, Julianne Nicholson, Xavier Samuel and Evan Williams.
The official Netflix Blonde synopsis reads: “[The film] boldly reimagines the life of one of Hollywood’s most enduring icons, Marilyn Monroe. From her unpredictable childhood as Norma Jeane, to her rise to stardom and romantic entanglements, “Blonde” blurs the lines of fact and fiction to explore the ever-widening chasm between her public and private self.”
“Andrew’s ambitions were very clear from the start — to present a version of Marilyn Monroe’s life through her lens,” de Armas recently told Netflix Queue. “He wanted the world to know what it actually feels like to be not just Marilyn but also Norma Jeane. I felt this was the most daring, uncompromising, and feminist approach to her story I had ever seen.”
“We worked on this film for hours every day for almost a year,” added de Armas. “I read Joyce’s novel, studied hundreds of photos, videos, audio recordings, films – everything I could get my hands on. Each scene is inspired by an existing photo. We studied every detail in the photo and discussed what was happening in it. The first question was always: ‘What was Norma Jeane feeling here?’ We wanted to tell the human side of her story. Fame made Marilyn the most visible person on earth, but it also made Norma the most invisible.”
The film’s NC-17 rating has reportedly caused tensions between Dominik and Netflix, but the filmmaker told ScreenDaily in February that he had “nothing but gratitude for Netflix,” noting that the streaming giant backed the title , even if it had some problems with its content. Netflix “insisted” on bringing in Hereditary and Tenet editor Jennifer Lame to “curb the film’s excesses.” Dominik added that Blonde is a challenging film. If the audience doesn’t like it, that’s the fucking audience’s problem. It is not running for public office.”
Speaking to Vulture in May, Dominik added of the film, “There’s something in there that offends everyone.”
Blonde will be released worldwide on Netflix on September 23. Check out the first footage and new images from the film in the posts below.
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